First San Diego Courthouse Museum

When you walk around Old Town, appreciate that you are looking at structures that have been untouched for decades. Then you will appreciate some of the museums in here. Yes, they are sand lack displays of large museums, but they give you a sense of what it use to be like here. In the museum, you will see the classical old west courthouse and jail. By the way, no charge for admission.

Located in Old Town, San Diego, this little courthouse and jail provide a unique look into the town’s history.
The First San Diego Courthouse was originally built in 1847. This tiny brick structure was only 16′ by 26′ in size. Built by some members of the Mormon Battalion Company B, US Army, the courthouse stood on the corner of Mason St and San Diego Ave until 1872 when a fire destroyed a section of Old Town’s business district. The building was rebuilt in 1991 and remains on the same site as the original courthouse today.
The jail cell (6′ by 9′), called the «iron cage», was placed behind the courthouse and has it’s own interesting history. Built in 1860, it remained in Old Town until it was moved to Coronado’s Tent City near The Del in 1906. It was then moved to San Ysidro Border Patrol in 1938. It was later used by the Sheriff’s Dept. for dynamite storage (till 1977) and was then donated to the Pioneer/​Ramona Historical Society, where is still stands. A replica (built in 1992) resides behind the courthouse currently.
The courthouse was divided into two sections. While the mayor and city clerk’s offices were in one room, the District Attorney and Sheriff were in the other. With so many people coming in and out of this tiny courthouse, I can imagine that it felt like pretty tight quarters here. One room depicts what the office of Oliver S. Witherby, the First State District Judge of San Diego, might have looked. The town’s Sheriff, Agoston Haraszthy, had an office in the other room of the courthouse.
It’s interesting to see what the courthouse might have looked like during this time. The artifacts in the display case and recorded audio give an informative look at the courthouse’s history. This museum is a nice stop when touring Old Town San Diego.